Excerpt:“As his committee has taken center stage in the battle over health-care reform, Chairman Baucus (D-Mont.) has emerged as a leading recipient of Senate campaign contributions from the hospitals, insurers and other medical interest groups hoping to shape the legislation to their advantage. …said Aaron Roland, a San Francisco health-care activist who paid half price to attend the gathering. ‘Money gets you in the door. The only thing the other side can do is march around and protest outside.’”

How is anything significant supposed to get done with health care reform when the chairman of the finance committee is bought and paid for by the health care, insurance and drug companies? It is no surprise that a public option has not received support from Baucus’ committee, even though Obama supports a public option.

DINOs like Baucus need to go down in the next election. I think that the Democratic party needs to clearly set itself apart from the GOP in the eyes of voters by moving farther to the left. A centrist approach leaves the door open to a return to power by the Republicans.